The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1887-02-02
KEEPING A FEW HENS.
THE BxPERIENCE IN WHICH MIR.
BOwSBR INDUCED.
Building the Hennery and Waiting
for Eggs-Result of the Expert
ment as Told by Mrs, Bowser.

ment as Told by Mrs, Bowser.
This fall Mr.. Bowser took notion to
keep a few hens. Iopposed the project
at once, and recalled to mind the three
or four dismal failures already scored
against us, but he turned on me with
that majestic air of his and replied:
'Mrs. Bowser we shall keep hens. 1t
is true that former experiments have
been failures, but there are excuses for
it. In the first place, | did not get the
right brand of hens. In the next, you
did not take care of them as you should.
The hen business, to be made success,
must be pursued the same as any other
business
1--WE got all can attend to without
fooling with hens, Mr.. Bowser."
Certainly. No one wants any of
your help, Mrs. Bowser. Indeed, the
further you keep away from my hens the
better l shall like it. The sight of
woman in Mother Hubbard, with her
hair twisted up in q knot and hole
showing in the heel of each stocking, is
enough to stop any hen in the country
from performing the egg business. You
just attend to your gossip and your
callers, Mrs Bowser, aud I'll attend to
my poultryW
MIR. Bowser ordered up $50 worth of
lumber and a carpenter, and then took
the children's playground for the site OF
his hennery The two men were work
ing around for four or five days, and one
evening Mr.. Bowser came in and said:
''NIrs. Bowser, the hennery is an ac-
complished fact have erected struc-
ture which even the most fastidious hen
must commend for external beauty and
internal convenience. am going down
to the grocery to night to see how many
dozen eggs we can dispose of per week.
Cant we eat them all"
"Can eat thirty or forty dozen
eggs per week, MADAME
That silenced me. The grocer said he
would take eighty dozen per week, pro-
vided they were fresh, and Mr.. Bowser
came home and made his figures as fol-
lows:
To sale of 0dozen eggs per week. ..... SIG 90
To keep of 20 hens per week. .......... OO
Clear profit. ......................S1 .S14 OO
"Aren't you figuring rather high on
the number of eggs9" ventured to in
quire.
High I should say not I'm figuring
at least ten per cent. too low. Well
use about four dozen per week, and sell
eighty dozen. That's eighty-four dozen,
or twelve dozen per day. That is less
than eight eggs day for each hen. A
hen who has our interests at heart will
surely produce that many"
"Well, if they'll do it."
"Do It'll Mrs. Bowser, what you don't t
know about hens makes me tired What
is hen for but to lay eggl What would
be her object in doing otherwise, or il
skipping day9"
During the next week he was study
ing up on poultry and making purchases
of small lots. heard him talking about
white and black Leghorns, Cochins
Shanghais and other kinds, and know
he paid as high as a dollar apiece fo1
some of EN-. At the end of a week he
had twenty hens and a rooster, and ht
swelled with pride and said to me:
Mrs Bowser, prepare your mouth fo
fresh eggs for breakfast"
"But hens don't lay in the night, dC
they" l asked.
They may, or they may not. If ther,
is any good reason why they shouldn't
don't know it. am going to leave
lighted lamp in the coop tonight, anC
if they take notion to lay they will fnC
everything handy"
Next morning he was out of bed a
daylight to pay visit to the COOP bu
we had no fresh eggs for breakfast. HI
said that no hen could be expected to d.
her best until she had become familia
with the coop and on speaking term
with the family. Day after day passed
but we got no eggs. Mr.. Bowser ide
that hen could be wound up and set tt
lay like an alarm clock was abandoned
and he bought lime, red pepper, egj
shells, Indian meal and dozen othe
things for food. On the ninth day h
brought in an egg. 1t was one l in
structed the cook to take out there an,
place in nest, Bowser came runnin;
in with it, his face all aglow, and as h
held it up to view he shouted:
''Mrs. Bowser, here is the living proc
fmy sagacityn
''Ies, but don't wake the baby"
''Baby be hanged What's red faced
wall-eyed, ten pound baby to the faC
that our hens have commenced to layr'
Poor man! felt sorry for him as til
days slipped away and we got no moi
eggs. He brought up a rse-doctor,
and he carefully followed all their sue
gestions, but the result was eggles
Some one told him that the hens needle
a sudden fright to set their layin
machinery in motion, aud he sneake
out at intervals and suddenly fired 8
old shotgun over the coop. No goot
When he was told that they were t.
warm he ripped off the battens. WhC
told that they were too cold he naile
them on again. One morniug when
came down stairs he paused IN his IN
jestic pacing back and forth and said
''Mrs. Bowser, while you reckless
slumbered last night some one came al
stole every fowl from the coopm
"Non
solemn fact. And that's the kind
person you are, Mrs. Bowserm
"'But Pye got to sleep"
eyes, it seems so, and at my cos
Mrs Eowser, Pm out about SO"
"But you can't blame me. | didI
tell you to 90 into the hen business -